General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEU and India Clinch 'Mother of All Deals' in Rebuff to Trump
We have concluded the mother of all deals, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday in a social-media post. The head of the EU executive, who was in New Delhi to mark the moment with European Council President Antonio Costa, added that the accord created a free trade zone of two billion people, with both sides set to benefit.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the agreement as a means of strengthening Indias manufacturing and services sectors while boosting investor confidence in Asias third-largest economy.
............
The conclusion of negotiations reflects the rapidly shifting global alignment under US President Donald Trump. The EU, despite long clashing with Indian officials on trade policy, is focused on paring back its economic reliance on the US and China. India is trying to shake its protectionist reputation and offset a 50% Trump tariff, while at the same time balance ties with Russia.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-27/eu-and-india-conclude-trade-talks-seeking-trump-alternatives?srnd=homepage-americas
Lovie777
(23,002 posts)watch your backs EU.
lostincalifornia
(5,366 posts)newdeal2
(5,432 posts)So is history (colonialism, WW2, Cold War) too.
JI7
(93,623 posts)DFW
(60,194 posts)The EU is in desperate need of bolstering its own manufacturing due to high wages and taxes that boost production costs that discourage sales. Reducing either often leads to debilitating strikes that interrupt production and/or boost costs to the point where their products are no longer competitive. India often offers slave wages, and its high end talent goes abroad to cash in on higher salaries.
On the other hand, Ursula von der Leyen is no idiot, and she would have been cautious in weighing the pros and cons. She would also not have been timid in taking a few blows in order to gain a favorable deal to toss in Trump's face. When she was German defense Minister, she played hardball with defense contractors whom she felt were attempting to fleece the government with inflated costs, something her male predecessors were reluctant to do. The sole reason she is not Chancellor now is that the macho culture of German politics would not have stood for two super-capable women chancellors in a row. Being a career politician, where Merkel was not, she has also acquired a few political enemies over time.